More Than We Can Imagine

School just started back this week in my community. Because I work at a school, the beginning of a new school year still holds a certain amount of excitement for me. The thing that has come to my mind this week is the uniqueness of how starting school, though so routine in many ways, could also mark the beginning of a change in lifestyle. I believe I am correct in saying that no two teachers are quite the same, so to a student, the start up of school this year may not be anything like the start of school last year simply because the teachers they have this year will change. What was required or expected last year may not be anything like what is expected or required this year.

I don’t think there is anyone who does not have a memory of the one teacher who made us give more than we had ever been asked to give before. I bet right now you are thinking about that teacher. For me, it was in my eighth grade year. I had a teacher that was new to our school system…..or in other words, she didn’t have a reputation yet, if you know what I mean. No one had been in her class, so it was a complete mystery as to what to expect from her…..good or bad. I really wasn’t worried, though, because she taught one of my favorite subjects, so how bad could it be? I’d never had problems in the subject before……..hey, I usually made “A’s” in this class….what on earth could she throw at us that would be too difficult to handle? Famous last words……

It probably took about ten minutes into my first day of her class to realize that this was going to be no cakewalk! What was she thinking? Everything she expected should have been required of college students, not eighth graders! Did she not understand that her class was not the only subject we had? Did she think we could stay up all night to complete her homework assignments? Come on……didn't she realize this is not the way this subject is taught? Maybe she needed to talk with other teachers in our system who teach this subject so she will know how we do things here and how our classes are run. It’s was very apparent to me that she didn't have a clue! I wasn't the only one who felt that way either…..all my classmates were saying the same thing and some of their parents were threatening to go to the Principal!

Well, three weeks into school and reality was setting in. This class was going to be the nightmare I prayed I would never experience. The train wreck of all train wrecks……the storm of all storms……the beginning of the end. I realized that I better let my parents know just what was going on so they would be prepared for the inevitable poor grades and, just maybe, get something done about the way this lady teaches! So that’s just what I did…..I told my parents everything about the class, the class work and the homework I was being given. That’s when it happened…….my dear sweet mother (whom I call Mama) reminded me that what this teacher was doing was intended for the betterment of her students. She was challenging us in a way that we had never experienced. She required more in her class because she knew we were capable of doing more. In the end, Mama said, we the students would benefit more than we could ever imagine. You KNOW that was exactly what I wanted to hear!

So what happened? Well, I won’t lie here. For the first nine weeks of class that woman just about killed me. My first report card reflected that fact, as well. But I noticed that with every week, what I had to do to meet requirements in this class began to be a little bit easier. When I was called on in class to answer a question, I was giving the correct answer! I was even getting my homework assignments completed so much quicker! Things that first seemed unbelievably difficult were now pretty easy! I thought, “Hey, maybe this teacher isn’t so bad, after all! Just look at what I can do!"

By the end of the school year, I advanced in that one subject in ways that, as my Mama said, were completely unimaginable. All because of one teacher who refused to do things as they had always been done before and who challenged her students to dive in deeper. What a lesson I learned! To this day, I will never forget what that dear, dedicated lady did for me. The effects of her commitment and belief in her students are apparent in my life every single day. What a blessing!

I’ve had a few opportunities over the years to speak with my former teacher and I never, ever pass up the opportunity to thank her for what she did for me. She always responds in a way that indicates it wasn’t what she did, but what she caused her students to attempt that made the difference. She saw something in her students that we ourselves could not see. Paul spoke to the church at Corinth about this same thing. These church members were completely lost without Paul there to teach and instruct them. He reminded them that the wisdom of God was not the type of wisdom understood by the world which is based on intellect. God’s wisdom is the result of righteousness……a right relationship with Him….which enables us to do all things through Him. We ourselves will not recognize this wisdom, but God will and, if we let Him, He will cause us to attempt those things we would never attempt on our own. The results? More than we can imagine!